REVIEW: Hilarious Hit Shucked at Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre Through January 19th Only

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

SHUCKED

NOW PLAYING AT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S CIBC THEATRE

THROUGH JANUARY 19 ONLY

Ah-maize-ing! 

Humor, grit, and kernels of wisdom. 

Hilarious hit, Shucked is a great respite from reality for a couple hours. 

Felt a-maize-ing to laugh so hard! Corny puns were poppin’ and there were quite a few clever lines that just might sneak into my real world vernacular. 

Highly Recommended. ★★★★ Four out of four stars. 

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara, ChiIL Live Shows

SHUCKED is recommended for ages 10+ due to adult themes, moments of adult language and a harvest of corny innuendo. 

All persons entering the theater, regardless of age, must have a ticket.

REVIEW

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

It was pure joy to catch opening night of Shucked last night at Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre. This Ah-maize-ing Tony Award winning hit is hands down hilarious. I laughed so hard my ribs hurt today. Shucked is filled with humor, grit, and kernels of wisdom, not to mention catchy tunes, bad puns, and excellent talent across the board. This production is a great reminder that simple is different than stupid, there are many types of wisdom, and never underestimate determined women.

Quinn VanAntwerp as Gordy and Miki Abraham as Lulu 

All Production Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Jake Odmark as Beau and Danielle Wade as Maizy with Cast Members

In our current political climate, while global warming related environmental disasters rage, Shucked is a great respite from reality for a couple hours. It's well worth the ticket price to escape into simpler times, and hide out in a corn maze of cons, relationship woes, and good old fashioned community for a spell. Corny puns were poppin’ and there were quite a few clever lines that just might sneak into my real world vernacular. The writing and score are witty, wonderful, and too much fun. 

Danielle Wade as Maizy

I especially loved Maizy (Danielle Wade) known for playing “Cady” in the Mean Girls National Tour. We need more of her adventurous spirit and gems like "This isn't an argument. I'm right and you're just saying things." She's the corn fed, small town, girl next door type, who's been underestimated all her life. She's also equal parts smart and smart-ass and we're here for it. We also adored Miki Abraham as LuLu, continuing in the role from Shucked on Broadway.  She's fierce and fabulous.

Miki Abraham as Lulu and Ryan Fitzgerald

Danielle Wade as Maizy and Miki Abraham as Lulu 

This modern day Music Man brings a fake physician "corn specialist" to an isolated rural town, to fix their agricultural woes. Instead, the town ends up fixing him. 

Quinn VanAntwerp as Gordy

The Cast of The North American Tour of SHUCKED 

Much like The Music Man's iconic, traveling con artist Harold Hill, Gordy in foiled in his con by smart women, but succeeds in finding love and community, despite his questionable past. Quinn VanAntwerp (Shucked on Broadway) is a treat to see as Gordy. 

The Cast of The North American Tour of SHUCKED 

The creatives and the entire cast are talent filled and top notch. We particularly adored the fabulous lighting, sound, and set design. Don't miss this! Highly Recommended. ★★★★ Four out of four stars. ChiIL Live Shows.

I was unfamiliar with the storyline and score going in, but they won me over by the opening number. I'll certainly be playing this one at home. Want to hear more?

Get an ear full of clever lyrics with this playfully incredible score: 

**The Grammy Award nominated SHUCKED – Original Broadway Cast Recording is available on all streaming platforms and on CD.  The album is produced by Jason Howland, Billy Jay Stein, and the show’s composers Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark.**

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).

The Cast of The North American Tour of SHUCKED 

Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce the Tony Award® winning musical comedy, SHUCKED is now playing at Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.) for a limited engagement through January 19 only.

“More hilarious than any show since The Book of Mormon” – New York Stage Review

SHUCKED features a “superb book” (New York Post) by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score filled with “earworm songs” (The Daily Beast) by Grammy Award winners, Tony Award nominees and Nashville music superstars Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction with “an infectious spirit of glee and warmth” (Variety) by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien.

Maya Lagerstam as Storyteller 1 and Tyler Joseph Ellis as Storyteller 2

The Cast of The North American Tour of SHUCKED 

What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn. SHUCKED is the new musical comedy that proves sometimes tearing down a few walls, rather than growing them, is the only way to preserve our way of life. SHUCKED is turning musical theater on its ear and is offering a kernel of hope for our divided nation.

“More laughs than every other Broadway show put together” – Chicago Tribune

The cast includes Miki Abraham (Shucked on Broadway) as Lulu, Tyler Joseph Ellis (“The Sex Lives of College Girls”) as Storyteller 2, Maya Lagerstam (The Gospel According to Heather) as Storyteller 1, Mike Nappi (Darling Grenadine) as Peanut, Jake Odmark (Kinky Boots) as Beau, Quinn VanAntwerp (Shucked on Broadway) as Gordy and Danielle Wade (“Cady” in the Mean Girls National Tour) as Maizy.

Jake Odmark as Beau and Danielle Wade as Maizy

Jake Odmark as Beau and Mike Nappi as Peanut

The cast also includes Zakiya Baptiste, Mackenzie Bell, Carly Caviglia, Cecily Dionne Davis, Ryan Fitzgerald, Sean Casey Flanagan, Jackson Goad, Erick Pinnick, Nick Raynor, Celeste Rose, Kyle Sherman and Chani Wereley.

Danielle Wade as Maizy and Erick Pinnick as Grandpa  

With choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, and music supervision, music direction, orchestrations, and arrangements by 2023 Tony Award, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Jason Howland, the design team for SHUCKED includes 2023 Tony Award nominee and Tony Award winner Scott Pask (scenic design), 2023 Drama Desk Award nominee Tilly Grimes (costume design), Tony Award nominee Japhy Weideman (lighting design), Tony Award winner and 2023 Drama Desk Award nominee John Shivers (sound design), Academy Award® winner and Emmy Award® winner Mia Neal (wig design), and Stephen Kopel, C12 Casting (casting director). SHUCKED is produced by Mike Bosner and Jason Owen.

“Shucked is totally original, unexpected, and brilliant!”  – Forbes

www.shuckedmusical.com

www.facebook.com/shuckedmusical

www.instagram.com/shuckedmusical

www.tiktok.com/@shuckedmusical

Mike Nappi as Peanut

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Tuesday, January 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 11 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 12 at 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 15 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 19 at 1:00 p.m.

Jake Odmark as Beau 

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for SHUCKED are on sale now and range from $35.00 - $130.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Patrons can also participate in a digital lottery for a chance to purchase $25.00 tickets for each performance. In addition to the lottery, a limited number of day-of-show, in person Rush tickets will be available for all performances. Click here for more info on Digital Lottery and In Person Rush. Tickets are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 25 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the  Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, The Auditorium, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway  Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● TikTok @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago

The Cast of The North American Tour of SHUCKED 

All Production Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

TICKETS ON SALE: Tomorrow 1/7/25 at 10am for Chicago Theatre Week 2025

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Hot Savings On Cool Shows!

Tickets go on sale starting tomorrow at 10am for 

Chicago Theatre Week 2025

a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago

Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama we're passionate about Chicago's Theatre scene and cover upwards of 200 shows annually. Want to see shows like a critic without breaking the bank? During theatre week you can! We've been covering this amazing annual event since it's inception and highly recommend setting a reminder for 10am tomorrow and enjoying the savings. Don't miss this. 

Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Tuesday. January 7, 2025, for Chicago Theatre Week (#CTW25), an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets. Chicago Theatre Week is February 6-16, 2025. For the third consecutive year, HotTix.org will host Chicago Theatre Week Continued from February 17-23, 2025, which will extend Theatre Week discounts to participating productions for an additional week.

The value-priced CTW tickets will be $30, $15, or less. Tickets will go on sale at 10:00am CST on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com. 

Last year’s Chicago Theatre Week saw massive ticket sales with more than 18,000 tickets sold to 81 participating productions for more than 446 performances. 64 theaters participated in CTW 2024, with 29 neighborhoods and suburbs represented. The program continues to bring in new audiences to area theatres with approximately 58% of patrons visiting their chosen theatre for the first time. Chicago Theatre Week also raises the visibility of the theater industry, as evidenced by the 144,689 unique visitors to www.chicagoplays.com from the ticket onsale through the end of Theatre Week.

A sample of the many productions expected to participate are:

Sondra Radvanovsky in Concert – Lyric Opera

Singin’ In the Rain in Concert – Lyric Opera

A Raisin in the Sun – Court Theatre

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical – Drury Lane

Avaaz – Chicago Shakespeare Theater

The Heart Sellers – Northlight Theatre

Fool for Love – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Betrayal – Goodman Theatre

Winter Series – Hubbard Street at Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Fat Ham – Goodman Theatre and Definition Theatre

Waitress – Paramount Theatre

Salonen Conducts Bluebeard's Castle – Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Kitty James and Destiny's Trail to Oregon – The Factory Theatre

A Lie of the Mind – Raven Theatre

MFA Collaboration: Wink – Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts

Native Gardens – Buffalo Theatre Ensemble

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire

Teatro Zin Zanni

Complexions Contemporary Ballet at Auditorium Theatre

Whirled News Tonight – iO Theater

The Infinite Wrench – The Neo-Futurists

Mr. Parker – Open Space Arts

Lobby Hero – Shattered Globe Theatre

The Devil’s is in the Detours – The Second City

Fun Home – Porchlight Music Theatre

The Cave – A Red Orchid Theatre

The Mannequins' Ball – Trap Door Theatre

League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Marissa Lynn Jones comments, “Chicago Theatre Week is a time for exploration and discovery. It is a pleasure to bring new audiences to our treasured stages that bring talent from across the globe. Chicago is the home of the best theatre artists in the world with stories for all ages and experiences.’ 

 “Chicago offers one of the most dynamic performing arts scenes in the world," said Choose Chicago Interim President and CEO Rich Gamble. "I am proud to support Theatre Week in partnership with the League of Chicago Theatres. Initiatives like this are critical to attracting new audiences to our venues and ensuring residents and visitors alike have the opportunity to experience the excitement and vibrancy of live theater in Chicago for generations to come."

Chicago Theatre Week is presented by the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago. Subscribe to the Theatre Week email newsletter for updates and announcements.

The official hashtag for Chicago Theatre Week 2025 is #CTW25.

Check back with ChiILMama.com (family friendy/family themed) and ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. We have great ticket giveaways, arts and entertainment news, original reviews, original photo features, and more. 

About Chicago theatre 

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 7 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com. #ChiTheatre

The League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.

About Choose Chicago

Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city and its member business community.

Follow @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and tag #ChicaGOandKNOW. For more information, visit choosechicago.com. Support the theatre community this fall during Theater Season and explore more than 100 shows happening now through the end of the year at TheaterSeason.com.